New teaser trailer!

[Agent of God]

maybe it's a reference to Wolverine of the X-men?!

Finally someone said it.

On the discussion of monsters I have to admit that I'm beginning to like them.
At first they looked uninspired, but now I'm more interested into their origins.

[The Adversary]

I have a feeling the Screamers are the "spirits" referenced in Lost Memories from Silent Hill 2. Inola, in Past Life, refers to them.

The name comes from the legend of the people whose land was stolen from them. They called this place 'The Place of the Silent Spirits.' By 'Spirits,' they meant not only their dead relatives, but also the spirits that they believed inhabited the trees, rocks and water around them.

According to legend, this was where the holiest ceremonies took place. But it was not the ancestors of those who now live in this town that first stole the land from these people. There were others who came before.

In those days, this town went by another name. But that name is now hopelessly lost in the veils of time. All we know is that there was another name, and that for some reason the town was once abandoned by its residents.

It sounds as if the Silent Spirits finally have a voice.

[Monster]

As sort of standard enemies they seem alright, afterall you wouldn't necessarily be able to tell how the rest of the monsters were going to be from looking at one of the standard enemies from the original games. Imagine what you'd think of Sh3 if you only saw the numb bodies....

[five5sixers]

Are Screamers their official names?

And oooh, Adversary, that just brings out a whole bunch of neat possibilities. I hope you're right.

[The Adversary]

As far as I know, Screamers is the official name.

Regarding my last post (unmarked Past Life almost-spoilers in the following paragraphs):

In Past Life, Inola, a Cherokee woman, soliloquys:

The Place of the Silent Spirits. It was what this place was once called. Not by my people—but people like me. People who've seen all they are, all they've loved . . . all they've ever known . . . taken away by others. The others claim a Manifest Destiny and infest a sacred land like fleas to a dog, calling it their world. A new world. But, really, it's not new . . . only different. An other world. And everywhere, even in this place, those spirits, silent for so long, cry out to be heard. To be remembered. To be avenged. I watch this white man and his woman enter town, and I know . . . the silence is ending and the time has come . . . for a whole new kind of Manifest Destiny." (1:7-9)

The story concludes with Potsmaster Blackwood asking Inola, "And the fires? Here . . . and in town?" She responds, "They belong to this land . . . and to the spirits. They're done bein' silent now, postmaster, you know that as well as I do. The fires burn for them . . . for the spirits. And they've only just begun. . . ." (4:22).

In the first century C.E., adherents of the Historical Jesus' preachings, known as the Holy Way, believed Jesus would return soon—like, weeks after his death. This didn't happen, of course, and the time of his resurrection was delayed again and again. Centuries later, he still hasn't shown, yet Christians still believe he will "soon," and as long Jesus hasn't come back, it will always be "soon."

In this context, we can draw a parallel to Inola's beliefs regarding the people before her—the people of the Place of Silent Spirits—and them returning with the Christians who for millennium have believed Jesus will return. Perhaps, then, the Screamers in Downpour will be their return.

[simeonalo]

^ Seems like a bit of the stretch. I would say the the screamers represent something more of agony. Maybe screams are used to symbolize pain? Was murphy in pain at some point, only to be silenced? We can't speculate much from what we've seen...still hopeful for E3.

~
Anyways, here's a comparison of the screamers in the first trailer and in the second trailer.

Some differences:

-hair in new trailer are more of dreadlocks while the past Screamer had loose hair (could be due to graphical updates)
-body of screamer is more rotten and shows more sign of drowning and decay (obvious skin updated)
-screamer facial expression has some new poses in the new trailer
-more spikes on hand in the new trailer (judging from the screenshot of only one spike on the hand in the first trailer)
-screamers in the new trailer are more feminine-looking

Something interesting thing to note..
-Screamers wear skirts!





























Shots of Murphy in pain at the Screamer's screams in the past E3 trailer (not even visible until you pause the video at certain parts before the close-up of bloody Murphy running away on the streets)

[The Adversary]

>Seems like a bit of the stretch<
I don't think so at all, especially considering what Inola said about the Place of the Silent Spirits and the confirmed connectivity between Past Life and Downpour, not to mention having the same author. Now we just have something, a creature, reified into those spirits.

>I would say the the screamers represent something more of agony. Maybe screams are used to symbolize pain?<
I have faith that Tom Waltz understands we don't want something so simple and cliché.

Half of your pictures don't work.

[CondescendingMan]

It was said a while ago that all of the monsters tie in with Murphy so I could assume thhe purposefully drowned some women or maybe even raped. Not a good guy unfortunately playing the game you are this guy. I wonder if any of the other enemies will have anything to do with violent crimes. Hopefully in a nice subtle way.

[SilverWolfPet]

>I would say the the screamers represent something more of agony. Maybe screams are used to symbolize pain?<
I have faith that Tom Waltz understands we don't want something so simple and cliché.

Hm... Let me put it this way...
If Bob is forced by certain circumstances to keep a secret he cannot bare to keep, he may have a dream at night in which he is screaming his guts out.

In other words, they may symbolize Murphy's need to say something he cannot say. Building up inside him, it would burst out as a scream in the end.

As for the three spikes, I like your Sun-Halo theory, xoxsnoof. Aaaand the wolverine theory is...um..acceptable :p
How about this: Three spikes in the hands...three crimes committed...three punishments.

[five5sixers]

I was literally grasping at straws with the Halo of the Sun theory, Silver Wolf, I was not being serious at all.

[jdnation]

We could be ignoring another idea, that perhaps the monsters could also represent a part of the town's history (the boat capsizing and drowning in Toluca Lake).

The monsters don't necessarily have to do with someone from Murphy's past or something he literally might've done. It could just be that Murphy as a child stayed in or around Silent Hill and heard the stories and deveoped a fear of them as a child or something that is now being given form in the Foggy world.

There's been some talk from the developers about the town being a character and about imitating SH2 in that regard, where we learn more about the town's history. I just picked up the Past Life trade today and have yet to read it (I will tonight when it's dark and quiet!). This is all probably hinting at explorations into the town's past and Murphy is probably just recalling stuff about the town that I'm theorizing he could've heard as a kid which stayed with him. For example we see shots of children and stuff running in the first trailer, so maybe that's a clue...

Maybe Murphy almost drowned in the lake as a child and has a phobia of water, and stories about the other folks drowning in Toluca only added to his trauma...

[The Adversary]

So . . . Alex Shepherd. Great.

[SilverWolfPet]

Maybe Murphy has issues with controlling himself. The water slide...no control at all.
The screamers seem to control their limbs in a very difficult way... it's like they're basing their attacks on inertia.

Afraid of losing control again?

[Patman]

Gameinformers published a list of confirmed E3 games, Downpour is one of them :
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/ ... -2011.aspx

Edit : nuh, I just figured out a new Facebook pre-E3 trailer was released weeks ago,
nevermind me ...